The Winona State University Department of Theatre and Dance will present the comical farce “The Venetian Twins” by Carlo Goldoni at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 9, through Saturday, April 12, on the Main Stage of the Performing Arts Center.
“The Venetian Twins” is an example of 18th century commedia dell’ arte, a genre that uses slapstick, sword fighting, comic characters, and cases of mistaken identity and romantic confusion.
Adapted from Goldoni’s original script by playwright Michael Feingold, “The Venetian Twins” charts the exploits of twin brothers who do not realize that they are in the same town together at the same time. Adding to the confusion is that the townspeople mistake one twin for the other. In this production the twins are played by the same actor, WSU senior Lilly Roe.
Tickets are $10 for adults and $6 for students. They can be purchased online at http://www.WSUArtsTickets.com or by calling the Box Office at 507-457-5235. The box office will sell tickets for the production from noon to 4 p.m. daily starting Monday, April 7. Tickets will also be available one hour before each performance.
Director Jim Williams is assisted by fight choreographer Mike Speck; professional actor Matt Chapman, who conducted a two-day workshop on physical theatre with the students involved in “The Venetian Twins”; and acting coach Heather Williams.
Students involved include Bekah Bailey (Coon Rapids, Minn.), Brett Burger (Andover, Minn.), Adam Calcagno (Woodville, Wis.), Jessica Clarke (Rushford, Minn.), Kilat Fitzgerald (St. Paul, Minn.), Rowan Garrigan (Wabasha, Minn.), Shelley Gorak (Winona, Minn.), Lydia Graddy-VanDenBerg (Byron, Minn.), Casey Howe (Rushford, Minn.), Sidney Junk (Bellevue, Iowa), Amy Kennedy (Grayslake, /Ill.), Sean Krage (Winona, Minn.), Brad Krieger (Maplewood, Minn.), Ross McNall (Minneapolis, Minn.), Kayla Nelson (Chatfield, Minn.), Chris Nimely (St. Paul Park, Minn.), Ian Parrague (Edina, Minn.), Lilly Roe (Eagan, Minn.), Anthony Schliesman (Rochester, Minn.), Thomas Sonneman (Winona, Minn.), Andi Sowieja (Le Center, Minn.), David Traff (Rochester, Minn.) and Marcus Wodarski (Cary, Ill.).
For more information contact Jim Williams at jiwilliams@winona.edu or visit http://www.winona.edu/thad/.
